Luxury department store in Paris La Samaritaine shines in new splendor

Status: 23.06.2021 2:09 p.m.

It is one of the most famous shopping addresses in the world: La Samaritaine in Paris. The legendary department store was lavishly renovated for 16 years. Today it opened its doors again.

From Stefanie Markert, ARD studio Paris

“O lala!” – Emmanuel Macron is visibly impressed by the sight: Gustave Eiffel’s gray-blue iron staircase spanning five floors with 16,000 gold leaves has been originally restored. Many of the 1700 employees of the department store stand on the landing and applaud the president. He accepted Bernard Arnault’s invitation. The billionaire and boss of the luxury goods company LVMH owns the Samaritaine. He renovated the building complex for 750 million euros and is now attracting customers: “Perhaps you can also shop on the Internet. But there you can’t touch the products, you can’t see them, and you can’t have lunch in such a wonderful atmosphere.”

A water pump as namesake

In the Samaritaine, this is most spectacularly done in the “Voyage” restaurant under the historic glass dome, surrounded by a 115-meter-long peacock frieze in Art Nouveau style. But actually shopping is hip here, emphasizes Head of Marketing Nathalie Montaldier: “You are on the fourth floor – all women’s shoes, from sneakers to luxury. The special thing: when you try them on you have a fantastic view of the Gothic cathedral Saint-Germain-L’Auxerrois . A unique experience.” In 1870 Ernest Cognacq founded the Samaritaine. Before that he had sold fabrics on the bridge next door – the famous Pont Neuf -, then rented a corner café and expanded his business little by little. At that time the first Parisian water pump stood on the Pont Neuf, and it was called “la Samaritaine” – the Samaritan woman. The pump gave the store its name. Today, historical commercials flicker there on old TVs:

Monsieur wants something?

Yes, nails.

We dont have.

An alligator clip.

Neither clamp nor crocodile.

Haven’t you read the name of our store?

No.

This is not the Samaritaine.

Ah, I see – you can find everything in the Samaritaine.

In the Parisian luxury department store you will find one thing above all: French “savoir vivre”. Image: Stefanie Markert / ARD-Studio Paris

A hymn to Paris

The house no longer lives up to this claim, says manager Eleonore de Boysson, but: “You can find all of Paris in the Samaritaine. Its brands and artists. It’s like a promenade with surprises. A visit should trigger a new Parisian feeling.” And convey the French way of life. The house bakes its own croissants, personalizes champagne bottles and sells cosmetics from collapsible crates that resemble those of the bouquinists in front of the door. Mosaics are reminiscent of the Parisian passages and yellow lanterns of the street lighting in the past. Parisian flair en passant.

The luxury department store is a hymn to the city. It offers the largest beauty department in the European Union – 600 brands and products from three-euro hand gel to perfume in a giant crystal bottle for 150,000 euros. Up to five million customers are expected each year. Parisians, French and of course tourists. On the lower floor, the head of marketing points to a long rolling carpet like at the airport: “There was direct access from the parking lot to the department store. We have redesigned this tunnel. This is where the bus tourists will arrive.”

The complex includes a luxury hotel with a 1000 square meter suite. Even the smallest room there costs 1500 euros per night. But there is also a day nursery and almost 100 social housing. Samaritaine General Director Jean Jacques Guiony explains: “That is the law. When building, around 25 percent of the area has to be reserved for social housing. We were free to move it inside in the Rue de Rivoli building.” The tenants look out over a green, roofed courtyard with the department store’s wellness oasis. The Samaritaine is open 364 days a year. It is only closed on May 1st

The Thai team shows signs of decline in Southeast Asia In the past 4 years, Thai football not only has not progressed to the Asian level as expected by football players in this country, on the contrary, they have clearly declined. Thailand is now 30 places behind Vietnam in the world rankings, despite spending a lot of money to invite reputable and famous coaches. Thairath wrote: “Who is not ashamed but I do. Since taking the chair of the President of the Thai Football Federation, Mr. Somyot has made everyone seem to have hope that Thai football will grow in stature and professionalism. In the end, all talk is just a dream. Thailand’s achievements are like falling into the abyss where they used to be the eldest brother. They were eliminated in the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia, with a score worse than their regional rivals, Malaysia. Like this, are you embarrassed?”. Page Thairath continued to criticize: “Look at Vietnam. They have risen to the number one position in Southeast Asia and 30 places above Thailand. Thailand has been terrible since President Somyot came to power. Is Japanese coach Akira Nishino worth such a large amount of money (30 million baht/year, equivalent to more than 20 billion VND/year)? At the very least, it must be exchanged with achievements. Because if you take that money to hire a Thai coach, the achievement is just that.” Siam Sports page also borrowed the words of former player Somchai Chuayboonchum to put pressure on coach Nishino: “The salary Nishino is receiving is too high compared to the results Thailand received. It’s a shame Thailand didn’t make it to the next round. The team seems to lag behind other competitors in Southeast Asia like Vietnam and Malaysia.” In the article, the author expressed concern about Thailand’s decline in the region as well as the quality of the Thai League: “Thailand team started to retreat and obviously fell into the abyss. At SEA Games, Thailand used to be a big man, but in the blink of an eye, the glorious past was gone. Everything was lower than expected. There is no title, no joy of winning and the Thai League is also starting to show signs of faltering. After that, Thai League is no longer the most appreciated tournament of the region. The Thai audience once again felt pain when the Thai team failed miserably in the 2022 World Cup. Vietnamese football is in the No. 1 position in Southeast Asia. If we stay in this situation, will we be able to ‘survive’ at SEA Games 31?”. Contrary to previous speculations of experts and fans, the Thai Football Federation did not fire coach Nishino. Not only that, they also decided to recruit some Japanese assistants to support Mr. Nishino in the near future. “I understand coach Nishino and the players very well. There are many objective reasons affecting the team’s results. From the detection of some cases of Covid-19, the team’s preparation plan has been greatly affected. Even the whole team could not practice anything in Thailand before going to the UAE. As for why coach Nishino doesn’t have any Japanese assistants, from the outset, the federation asked him if he wanted to bring any fellow assistants to Thailand, but he insisted he wanted to go to Thailand. alone. We never stopped Coach Nishino from using a Japanese assistant. However, we are willing to hire more Japanese assistants for Coach Nishino and this will not affect the salary that the federation pays him,” – announced President Somyot Poompanmoung. In addition, when asked by a reporter whether during the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 epidemic, whether coach Nishino would have his salary cut, chairman Somyot Poompanmoung affirmed: “Based on the new contract, coach Nishino’s salary is 33 million baht/year, equivalent to about 2.75 million baht/month (approximately 2 billion VND). This new level is applied after we have implemented implement a policy of reducing wages for all employees of the union”.

Sparkling crystal sunglasses by designer Alessandro Michele are inspired by the style of Hollywood stars from the old golden age, who always shine on the big screen and in real life. . The Hollywood Forever eyewear line first launched in 2017, returns this year 2021 with traces of old-fashioned splendor embodied in sophisticated contemporary eyewear designs. The designs blend classic charm with modern refinement as they tell exciting stories in which you will take on the lead. The image for the campaign to promote the Hollywood Forever eyewear collection in 2021 captures the “actors” in a soapy bathtub, showing different facial shades with Gucci glasses. The spirit of play throughout the images and videos was taken by photographer Harmony Korine with the backdrop of a vintage-styled flower-tiled bathroom. Each glass style is accentuated with sparkling crystals that are meticulously hand-set to recreate the dazzling Hollywood appeal. On the metal glass frame, the words Gucci and small hearts engraved on the glass bridge add to the beauty of the design. The gold interlocking G logo adds sophistication to the bold and lavish aesthetic. The cat eye glasses are reimagined with sharp corners and striking knurled edges. Vibrant pink adds femininity to the frames with heart-shaped lenses. The classic round eyeglasses design is reinterpreted with oversized lenses, while the rectangular frames have an unusual construction with variable thicknesses. Perform: Tuan Anh